NYC bound!

In a throwback to my days as a VISTA, I'm heading to NYC for the upcoming week to do a community service spring break trip with a group of Brandeis undergraduates. I'm pretty pumped about it. We're spending the majority of our time working with an agency that delivers nutritionally-appropriate meals to seriously ill people who cannot cook for themselves: God's Love We Deliver.

This trip will be very different from my past trips: rural Appalachia vs. New York City. Mountains vs. skyscrapers. Coal mines vs. subway systems. But, some of my most meaningful spring break experiences have come from conversations with the people I encounter during the course of the trip ... and I'm sure that I'll meet some amazing people during the next week. I'm looking forward to learning a lot ... and to not checking my email for 6 entire days. See ya!

In recession, MBA students seek backup plan

An article in this morning's Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/02/in_recession_mb.html?s_campaign=8299

Good thing my original ambition was never a Wall Street finance job. My advice: MBA's are going to be valuable people in the next wave of business venture that will be popping up as this recession ends. Social enterprise, responsible business, green tech - using business skills for good. Our country can't stand it any other way.

I'm LinkedIn ...

Now what? I recently joined the professional networking site LinkedIn. I'm probably one of the last people on the planet to do so, judging from the shocked replies I used to receive upon revealing that no, in fact, I am not on LinkedIn. So, I did it.

And now my question is what to do with it? I'm pretty versed on the art of Facebook and how to best NOT tarnish my professional reputation, but LinkedIn is a new beast. The point seems to be less about protecting my reputation (which is easy, because there's no option for your friends to tag you in photos involving ridiculous late-night antics), but more about building a really impressive LinkedIn profile and good networks. At least that's what LinkedIn tells me to do. My profile is only 40% complete right now, which is apparently a detriment to my online networking abilities.

For now, I think I'm content to have people find me and "connect", but I'm wondering where we're headed with these sorts of networking sites. Will joining LinkedIn provide some professional benefit to me in the future? Have you ever found a useful professional connection using sites like LinkedIn?

It seems logical that we'll use things like this more and more, even if it's just to learn that your friend has a friend who works at a company that you're interested in. Maybe this will spur a phone call or email to said friend, who will then help you "connect" to desired friend in real life. Very plausible ... Thoughts? Stories?

Triple Bottom Line

We had a great speaker in our Corporations and Communities class last week - Andy Savitz, author of "The Triple Bottom Line". I've never read the book, but have definitely heard the term use many, many times. The triple bottom line basically takes into account not only the economic bottom line in a business, but also the effects of business on people and the environment. We spent alot of time talking with Savitz about how we've reached this age of accountability on the part of businesses. Business used to just be about making money, but now businesses are accountable for so many other factors, such as public health, labor standards, environmental effects.

The point that Savitz strives to make is that there is a sweet spot for businesses where they can make profits, as well as solve some social problem. A few examples that we spent time talking about were Toyota and the Prius and GE's Ecomagination campaign. Both of these segments of their respective companies are responsible for generating a huge portion of revenue for the companies, but are also revolutionizing the their respective industries with respect to environmental accountability.

The phrase that stuck in my mind during most of the talk was, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." I think Voltaire is responsible for this philosophy. I struggle with companies who are still doing things that are bad for people and bad for the planet, but have a few segments that are good for people and planet, being labeled as socially responsible. However, as much as I struggle with this contradiction, I realize that there will be no such thing as a perfect company (in that they are achieving good for all three: people, planet, profit) in the very near future. Even some of the most socially responsible companies in the world - I think of Patagonia - are still probably generating some negative externalities.

So, I applaud the companies that are making strides toward being industry leaders in being accountable to the triple bottom line. As more companies embrace this approach and as more consumers demand it, I see it becoming the norm for business. And that's an incredibly good thing.

Eco-friendly Super Bowl shirts!

Seeing as I am a faithful Steelers fan, I was most impressed by Reebok's initiative to produce organic cotton Super Bowl t-shirts this week. Read the press release here:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090127006356/en

People buy these things like crazy - I'm sure there was a line somewhere this morning in Pittsburgh to get a Steelers Super Bowl Champions shirt. This is awesome on Reebok's part for a few reasons:

• They're making a statement and taking a lead in the industry by producing such an important piece of fan attire in a socially responsible way.
• They are the only ones making official shirts, so if someone wants an official Super Bowl shirt, they'll be wearing organic cotton. This probably exposes some customers who never would have cared about organic cotton to the fact that it exists and is better for the earth.
• Hopefully this action by Reebok will help to expand the market for organic cotton, thus enticing more farmers to grow cotton organically, thus saving the planet from TONS of pesticides in the long-run.

Go Steelers! Go Reebok!